Chita Barnerjee Divakaruni is the writer of this story. She was born in Calcuta, India. For twenty years Chita Divakaruni has lived in San Francisco and now she teaches creative writing at the University of Houston.

This plot begins in a small village somewhere in India. And continues in Oakland, California in the United States. Tilo is the heroine of this story. She has magical powers and she uses the spices to help people who are in trouble.

But before describing this novel, I have some questions: Have you ever felt the need to break your own rules? The world is full of rules. Rules and more rules. Sometimes they are beneficial and others times they are not. In a crucial decision , What is more important for you? your feelings or the established rules?

Tilo is a special Indian woman. She was born with magical powers. And for a long time she is instructed by the Old One, the more ancestral Mistress of the Spices. She teaches Tilo how to use the magical powers of spices. And for a long time in an island, Tilo learnt a lot of things about spices. But she doesn´t know what the real world is like. And her love for the spices and rules are tested when she must go to Oakland. There she can help many people. But when she meets Raven, an American man, everything starts to change.

This story is full of love and principles. The cover of this book is not attractive. But it is not a heavy reading matter. On the contrary, it has short chapters very easy to understand. And it shows us an everyday real problem for many people in different circumstances nowadays.

I´ve enjoyed reading this book so much because it has been refreshing. And for those people who want to appreciate the different values in life, I recommend reading it.

(Katy Pérez)